King replacing Dobbs

CNN reporter John King will replace controversial departing host Lou Dobbs in a new weeknight political program, the cable news network Thursday.

King's new program, slated to start early in 2010, would "reflect what CNN is all about: straight facts from our anchors and the widest range of opinions from across the political spectrum."

The appointment of King, chief national political correspondent and host of Sunday political show "State of the Union," follows Dobbs abrupt resignation before the end of his contract in 2011.

Dobbs had been criticized by Latino groups for his anti-immigration views. He was also seen as lending credence to views that President Barack Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate was faked, making the first black U.S. president ineligible for office.